The Chinese martial art Wing Chun, meaning “eternal springtime,” can be traced as far back as early nineteenth century. Practitioners believe the bamboo to be the embodiment of this sport, as the perfect Wing Chun stance combines firmness with flexibility.

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Wing Chun Techniques - A Sneak Preview

Most Wing Chun moves are designed for self-defense, incorporating striking, grappling and other basic forms of street fighting. Pak sao is one of the Wing Chun techniques that use the hand to block an assault. Coming straight out of the body’s so-called center, Pak sao deflects a hand attack and targets the opponent’s face by the side of one’s palm, or the lower lateral region of the forearm. Wing Tsun Kung Fu is very effective in responding to an assault from behind. This involves grabbing the arm of the attacker before it makes contact with the defender’s body, and taking control of the assailant by looping or twisting the opponent’s arm as the defender turns around. There are also free form Wing Chun techniques that work perfectly against attackers.

Wing Chun Training - Physical Requirements

Wing Chun experts teach “entry techniques” that are executed at close range, as the martial art is known for. This eliminates the advantage of size, allowing a small person to easily defeat a taller opponent by invading his range. Balance is very important in Wing Chun training, because it enables the practitioner to maintain structure and recover immediately after a stalled attack. The routines in this specialization usually begin with a high and narrow stance to make room for various shifts and turns. Also crucial to Wing Chun training is relaxation, essentially avoiding unnecessary muscle tension to maximize power and speed. Like yoga, Wing Chun values the central axis or the centerline as the key to effectively transmitting force.

Wing Chun Classes - Aspects

Solitary exercises called forms are first developed in students of Wing Chun to instill the physical requirements including balance and relaxation in them. Wing Chun classes on meditation are divided into three, focusing separately on body structure, cycles and changes in the arms, and sensitivity training. Students will learn the six types of basic Wing Chun, three of which are empty hand forms. After Siu Lien Tao, the beginner’s training on empty hand techniques, lessons move on to Chum Kiu, which is intended to hone body mass movement and coordinate it with entry techniques. Biu Jee teaches students the combination of hand attacks, kicks and sweeps. Later lessons involve a wooden dummy to demonstrate how to properly attack from different angles.